(1877-08-12) Edison Invents Phonograph

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https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/this-day-history-august-12-thomas-edison-invents-phonograph
Whatever happened with this invention - I've never seen Edison cylinder records for sale at Walmart.


Kirk Bayne

 

[ar surround]

https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/this-day-history-august-12-thomas-edison-invents-phonograph
Whatever happened with this invention - I've never seen Edison cylinder records for sale at Walmart.


Kirk Bayne

Supposedly Walmart was caught using a digital step in the process and all of their cylinders were pulled from the shelves.

 

[jefe1]

Great post Kfbkfb!

 

[~dave~~wave~]

I rescued a stack of World War I-era Edison discs from my grandmother's house.
She was big on auctions and estate sales.

These were what replaced the early cylinders in the first phonograph format wars.
I've never dropped a needle on one, as you can see and hear them all over YouTube.

Found a 1918 Edison catalog a few years ago to go with them, and a ton of fascinating history on Wiki.
Edison Disc Record - Wikipedia

Edison's technology was superior to the competing Victrolas, but of course, he was his own worst enemy.
How many times has history repeated itself?

Diamond Discs enjoyed their greatest commercial success from the mid-1910s to the early 1920s, with sales peaking in 1920.[5] Although they arguably had better audio fidelity, they were more expensive than, and incompatible with, other makers' products and ultimately failed in the marketplace.

Not least among the factors contributing to their downfall was Thomas Edison's insistence on imposing his own musical tastes on the catalog. As an elderly man who favored old-fashioned "heart" songs and had various idiosyncratic preferences about performance practices, he was increasingly out of touch with most of the record-buying public as the Jazz Age of the 1920s got underway.

This was the era of the first Hawaiian music & ukulele craze.

 

[4-earredwonder]

I rescued a stack of World War I-era Edison discs from my grandmother's house.
She was big on auctions and estate sales.

These were what replaced the early cylinders in the first phonograph format wars.
I've never dropped a needle on one, as you can see and hear them all over YouTube.

Found a 1918 Edison catalog a few years ago to go with them, and a ton of fascinating history on Wiki.
Edison Disc Record - Wikipedia

Edison's technology was superior to the competing Victrolas, but of course, he was his own worst enemy.
How many times has history repeated itself?

Diamond Discs enjoyed their greatest commercial success from the mid-1910s to the early 1920s, with sales peaking in 1920.[5] Although they arguably had better audio fidelity, they were more expensive than, and incompatible with, other makers' products and ultimately failed in the marketplace.

Not least among the factors contributing to their downfall was Thomas Edison's insistence on imposing his own musical tastes on the catalog. As an elderly man who favored old-fashioned "heart" songs and had various idiosyncratic preferences about performance practices, he was increasingly out of touch with most of the record-buying public as the Jazz Age of the 1920s got underway.

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This was the era of the first Hawaiian music & ukulele craze.



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WELL, WE'VE COME A LONG WAY DAVY!

 

[MidiMagic]

I used to see cylinders in several antiques and used items stores. I didn't buy any because I had no player.

I bought many disc records (both vertical and lateral), including Edison records. I have modified two turntables to play these records:

- My Collaro Conquest has a plug you turn over to play vertical records.

- My Lenco L-78 has the same plug. It also takes speeds from 10 to 100 rpm.

- I have styli that can play standard stereo, 3-mil for 78s, and .5 mil for Edison.

Did you know that the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) was responsible for the 78.26 rpm speed? With the development of electrical recording, the NAB set some rules for records so that turntables did not have to be readjusted for each record:

- A standard speed of 78.26 rpm (the average of the Victor 76 rpm and the Columbia (and Edison) 80 rpm

- A standard groove for a 3-mil stylus with outside start and lateral recording.

- Standard diameters of 10-inch and 12-inch.

- A standard eccentric trip runout groove.

- A standard recording curve (250N-0).

 

[barfle]

At one time, I went to a home where the two guys who lived there had a collection of 78s that makes my LP collection look puny (see avatar). They also had a fairly large collection of cylinders, and electronic players for all. They held parties of sorts for guests to listen to their recordings. I remember Jose’ Mojica being one of the artists, and was pleased with how the recording sounded.

As part of my collection, I have a handful of Edison Diamond Discs, some of which have embossed labels. I also have a few discs where the labels have fallen off.

 

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